The Tennessean‘s article on “How 6 rising CMA stars bypassed Music Row roadblocks” includes bits on The Civil Wars, Mandy Barnett, and Jacob Lyda. Barnett on teaming selectively with companies like Cracker Barrel on individual projects rather than remaining under contract to anyone exclusively:

I can’t do it on my own, but the days of signing a proper record deal or doing records by committee are over. It’s a soul-killer.

If you’re the sort of person who likes cool things, you just might be the sort of person who would enjoy the new Wine, Women & Song: Live at Green’s Grocery DVD, featuring an hour of interviews and songs with Matraca Berg, Gretchen Peters, and Suzy Bogguss. You can order it here.

In his eyes I think he thinks it’s the most important record of his new career. Ronnie doesn’t really have hobbies. He lives the music business. He writes, he records, he sings, he tours. You ask him what his hobby is, he’s not a guy that plays golf or anything else. The music business consumes him and that’s what this project did — it just consumed him.

Sorry to hear about Trace Adkin’s house burning down. I wonder if Larry Gatlin will write a song about that as well? Hmm…

That Buddy Cannon article was a good read. In fact I liked it more than Kenny Chesney’s music.

So Joy Williams and her husband started licensing her music and they earned $ 750,000 in one year? Crikey! The Civil Wars’ music is unique and intriguing, but I can’t say I enjoy it much. I wonder if they will be a fad or have “legs” for a few years. Time will tell.

What was Country California?

A smart, satirical take on the modern country music landscape published continuously from April 2008 to November 2015.